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A Catholic Bishop has criticized Swaziland’s King Mswati III, saying the King’s tactics is driving people to despair. 
The Church is worried that the monarchy has increasingly marginalized the people, especially since 2005 when it adopted a constitution that ignored the wishes of “a significant portion of the Swazi people,” according to Bishop Louis Ncamiso Ndlovu.
“We believe that being marginalized is what led some people to adopt crude and violent methods so as to force change in the country. This is really a cry for attention and recognition,” the bishop said in a statement.
“The recent bombings are thus a manifestation of the failure by the ruling elite to engage in serious and honest dialogue with the citizenry.” But he was quick to add that the church condemned all forms of violence.
Bishop Ndlovu also criticized the enactment of an anti-terrorism law which is being used by the monarchy to crack down on opponents.
“In the prevailing political and social climate, the Roman Catholic Church invites all concerned, especially on the side of government and the ruling elite, to real and serious dialogue,” the bishop added.
The Kingdom of Swaziland, with over a million people. The previous sovereign, King Sobhuza II, who reigned for almost 61 years, scrapped the constitution in 1973 and banned political parties.
Mswati, one of the world’s last absolute monarchs, continued with the political crackdowns when he ascended to the throne in 1986. He banned opposition parties and trade unions have been vocal in their demands for greater democracy and limits on the king’s power.
Mswati, his thirteen wives and numerous children live a life of opulence while the majority of Swaziland live in poverty. HIV rates are among the world’s highest, and unemployment rates are in the double digits.
The tiny country of Qatar inaugurated its new Museum of Islamic Art, meant to showcase how Islam is a religion of tolerance and not of terrorism. 
Sheikha Al-Mayassa, daughter of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, was at the opening in Doha. She is the president of Qatar’s museum authority.
“We want to show that Islam is a peaceful civilization, which has always called for tolerance and coexistence amongst different peoples,” she told journalists.
The gas-rich Gulf state wants to “highlight the values of the Muslim civilization and the role of that civilization in bringing together cultures and human values,” the Sheikha added.
 Built on an artificial island 60 yards from the Doha Corniche, the museum houses 800 artistic and historical treasures from three continents, illustrating Islamic culture from the seventh to the 19th centuries.
The five-storey building, designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, whose other projects have included the Pyramide du Louvre in Paris, also houses exhibition halls, a library and an education center, explained the Sheikha.
The museum is part of Qatar’s plans to make Doha a world cultural center.
The little princesses of Holland were out Saturday to see every young child’s dream: Santa Claus, or Sinterklaas as he is known in the Netherlands. 
Princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane were with their parents, the Crown Princely couple, Willem-Alexander and Maxima, in the town of Wassenaar – a suburb of the Hague - to welcome Saint Nicholas and his servants, who are known as Zwarte Pieten. Amalia and Ariane sat a top of their parents’ shoulders, while Alexia sat on top of the shoulders of the girls’ Argentine nanny.
The princesses – ranging in age of 4 and a half to 1 years old – each wore little ‘Zwarte Piet’ caps, were clearly excited to see Sinterklaas. They sang songs for him and his helpers, as Sinterklaas walked amongst the crowds.
The Sinterklaas tradition was voted Holland’s number one tradition in a recent survey. It is to forwarded to UNESCO to be listed as the countrys immaterial world heritage.
The Prince of Wales has many in the UK up in arms after it was announced that once he becomes King - whenever that would be – he will be a monarchy with opinions and will get involved in politics. This is something constitutional monarchs are not supposed to do. 
The announcement, made by faithful biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby, explains that “there are discreet moves afoot to redefine the future role of the sovereign so that it would allow King Charles III to speak out on matters of national and international importance.”
Dimbleby goes on to suggest that Charles seeks to fill a role not dissimilar to that of recent Irish or German presidents, politically non-partisan, but still activist.
As understanding as Dimbleby tries to make it, the idea sounds outrageous to many Brits. Some dread the day Charles inherits the throne. Some even wonder if a having Great Britain as a republic will be a better idea.
Newspaper columnists wrote blatantly how the Prince of Wales is not fit to be an outspoken King. Johann Hari of the Independent talked about Charles’ academic failures, explaining that the Prince is “a strikingly stupid man.
“Every time he has been put into a competitive situation where he is judged according to objective criteria, he has been a disaster.
“Despite the most expensive education money can buy, he managed only to scrape a B and a C in his A-Levels. Despite this, he was admitted to Cambridge University, where he failed again, barely scraping a 2:2. When he was ushered into the Navy, he was so inept at navigation he kept crashing. Anybody else would have been court-martialed, but instead the Navy gave him one-on-one tuition for years. And still he failed.”
Hari even points out how Queen Sofia of Spain recently spoke out against gay marriage, and that led to some Spaniards to question the need for monarchy.
Perhaps the reason why the Prince of Wales wants to be a King with opinions is because he is a Prince with opinions. Charles has been very outspoken on such issues as the environment, organic food, interfaith dialogue, and architecture. He even makes it known about his feelings on the China-Tibet situation, which has caused some diplomatic issues between China and the UK.
Perhaps the reason why Charles is so insistent on being a King with opinions is because he has spent 60 years – 39 of them as an active Prince of Wales – speaking out on those issues. How could he be silenced once he becomes King after being so outspoken for so many years?
Still, the reason why the British monarchy has survived while many others have fallen, is due to Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The British monarch for the past 56 years has maintained the monarch’s role for being politically silent, and therefore, neutral. That has made her greatly admired and popular both with Britons and many around the world.
So, if Prince Charles were to ever become King – and reminder, that won’t be for quite a long time as the 82 year old Queen is in excellent health – and he does become an outspoken King, he would be putting a thousand year old institution under the threat of extinction.
And that would make Britain’s republicans quite happy.
The wife and sisters of King Mohammed VI were busy these past couple of days. Princesses Lalla Salma, Lalla Meryem and Lalla Amina were all doing their part to either make Morocco a better place or to promote their country. 
First with the King’s wife, Lalla Salma. She opened a pediatric oncology center in Casablanca on Friday, as part of her cancer association which she is chairperson of. The center targets children and teenagers affected by blood diseases or cancer coming from the different regions of Morocco. It aims to improve access to treatment and develop autograft activity for sick children by building an intensive care unit.
 Next, the King’s youngest sister, Lalla Asmaa, helped inaugurate the diplomatic circle international charity bazaar in Rabat. The annual event is meant to assist projects of Moroccan NGOs working in education, health and the promotion of rural women and support the action of charity associations in Morocco.
Earlier this month, Princess Lalla Meryem signed a campaign on Morocco’s behalf to UNIFEM’s say no to violence against women. Lalla Meryem is President of the National Union of Moroccan Women and the National Monitoring Agency for Children’s Rights.
In case you were wondering, the name Lalla means “tulip” in Persian. It was used in a Thomas Moore poem, “Lalla Rookh” about the daughter of a Delhi emperor, and is seen as a symbol of Eastern glamour.
The princely family of Monaco gathered Thursday, November 19th to observe National Day. 
Prince Albert II, his sisters Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, Caroline’s husband Prince Ernst of Hanover, and all four of Caroline’s children were present for the day’s events.
Those events included mass of thanksgiving at the tiny principality’s cathedral, appearing on the palace balcony to greet Monaco’s citizens, followed by a night at the opera and fireworks at Monaco’s harbor.
 While National Day is a time Monaco’s 30,000 citizens celebrate patriotism and get a chance to view their royal family united, it is also a time for those royals – particularly the females – to get dressed up. Dark colors were the style of the day, with Caroline and Stephanie sporting black and gray coats on the cool November day. Caroline’s fashionable eldest daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi, wore black from head to toe. Her outfit included a hairband and a miniskirt.
Even Princess Caroline’s youngest daughter, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, displayed some fashion sense, as she wore a black dress with red stockings .
Monaco’s National Day kicked off a day earlier, when Prince Albert II and Princess Stephanie went to the Red Cross to give out gifts to the principality’s needy senior citizens. Many of the 145 elderly who met the royals were delighted.
“I love them as though they were my children,” said 78 year old Renata, an Italian who has lived in Monaco for 50 years. “They are adorable. With them, it was always satisfactory.”
Noticably absent from National Day was the reigning Prince’s longtime girlfriend, Charlene Wittstock. She had been present during many of Monaco’s high profile events this year. But as this was a day especially for the royal family, it was not needed for Wittstock to participate.
Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark are on a four day tour of Russia this week, to promote cultural and economic ties between the two nations. 
They are also in Russia for a photo exhibition of Czarina Maria Fedorovna, the wife of Czar Alexander III and former Princess of Denmark.
The royal couple’s first stop was in Ekaterinburg, the city where the last Tsar and his family were executed by Bolsheviks 90 years ago. Princess Marie paid a visit to the Church of the Spilled Blood, which was built over the site of the murders.
Also in Ekaterinburg, the two inaugurated a Danish Trade Commission and the photo exhibition. The day ended with a fashion show, where Danish Dyrberg / Kern showed their jewelry to the couple.
Joachim and Marie will be moving on to Moscow and St Petersburg in the coming days. In those cities, they will continue to check out Danish firms in Russia, as well as Russian landmarks.
Princess Madeleine of Sweden is known for her good looks and sense of style. But she is also known for having a big heart for disadvantaged children, and these days she is helping those in South Africa for the charity, World Childhood Foundation. 
Founded by her mother, Queen Silvia, in 1983, the charity aims at helping abused, neglected and impoverished children. It also aims at helping their mothers provide for their children.
The Princess met with South Africans living in poverty in Cape Town slums. She saw how they live, and learned about their lives. The Princess also helped them build fires and fetch water.
Princess Madeleine did all this to help start a WCF station in South Africa. This, so more sustainable assistance for children there can be offered.
 South Africa is a difficult place for women and children. Every 26 seconds, a female is raped, no matter how young or how old. Many children grow up without a father. Families are torn apart by alcoholism and unemployment. Often, children run away from home to live on the streets. HIV rates are high in this country, with few being able to afford the treatments to slow the disease.
Princess Madeleine has done many works with children. She is the patron of Sweden’s “Min Stora Dag”, or “My Big Day”. It helps grant wishes of terminally ill children.
Last month, the Princess stopped by a hospital in Sweden to meet with sick children. In 2006, she interned at the United Nations.
To learn more about World Childhood Foundation, click here
To see a German video of Princess Madeleine in South Africa, click here
Photographers didn’t see them, and there is scant hearsay of what went on, but it appears to be true: royal girlfriends Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy were at Prince Charles’ Highgrove estate for a private celebration of his 60th birthday.
It was rumored for months that the two ladies were to attend at least one party held for the Prince of Wales. Speculation that Middleton and Davy were to go to the formal party at Buckingham Palace Thursday turned out to be false. But according to eyewitnesses, the loves of Princes William and Harry were guests at the Highgrove bash, thrown by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
There were many close friends and family of the Prince of Wales there. Royal relatives such as the Duke of York, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, and Zara Philips were there.
Other guests included Rod Stewart, who gave a private concert for the partygoers. His music sent the guests to dance floor.
According to Hello! magazine, William and Harry gave a hilarious joint speech to their father. Camilla also gave a toast to her husband.
The next morning, Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, Harry and Chelsy, gathered for breakfast. That according to the Daily Mail.
There will never be solid proof that Kate and Chelsy were at the party; no photographers were allowed inside Highgrove. It is unknown how the two managed to get in without the media’s notice. It is believed they might have arrived much earlier than the guests, or stayed the night before.
There have been some rumors and speculation that because of lack of public appearances together for several weeks, William and Kate were on the rocks, or had even split. But with enough eyewitness accounts of the couple being together at Highgrove, it can well be said that Prince William and Kate Middleton are still very much an item.
The people of Thailand said farewell to King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s late sister, Princess Galyani Vadhana, who died of abdominal cancer in January at the age of 84. 
Tens of thousands lined the streets of old Bangkok, and millions more watched the funeral on TV. Some even performed funeral rites at Buddhist temples that dot Thailand.
“We are here because we love the princess and the king,” said Lek Paekhajae, 65, a farmer from Nakorn Sawan, 210 kilometres north of Bangkok. Lek and his wife arrived at Sanam Luang on Friday morning to make sure they had a frontline view of the processions.
The ceremony of the 6-day, $9 million funerary rites that provided a rare glimpse of the pageantry of the House of Chakri.
 More than 2,000 soldiers in dress uniform marched alongside the elaborate chariot containing the urn with the remains of the princess in a funeral procession from the glittering Grand Palace, where the princess’ body has been lying in state since January. The royal court had waited for the most auspicious time for her cremation.
With conch shells wailing and cannon fire thundering, crimson-clad soldiers pulled the gilded chariot containing the body of the revered Thai king’s sister to a seven-story pyre.
The crematorium is a temporary complex of pavilions built by hundreds of Thai craftsmen over the past seven months. At the center is a four-sided castle, decorated with figures of heavenly beings at the base and a special seven-tiered white umbrella used only at royal events. 
Members of the royal family performed the cremation at the pyre Saturday as guards from the three armed forces fire cannons and a group of court musicians performed classical Thai music.
The main part of the ceremony was when King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit lit symbolic candles in front of his sister’s sandal-wood casket at an ornate Buddhist pavilion.
Thai royals in attendance include Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Princess Sirindhorn.
The funeral will continue until Wednesday. Other moments will include the gathering of the bones and ashes.
 “We love her because she did a lot for the common people and also because she helped to raise her brother, the king,” said Tipyatabienkarn Laiad, 75, a former pharmacy professor at Mahidol University.
Princess Galyani was patron to 63 charities. She was best known for promoting the French language and promoting music. In fact, from late evening Saturday until the early hours of Sunday, five of Thailand’s symphony orchestras were playing classical music at the funeral.
The funeral of Princess Galyani is a painful reminder for Thais, for their beloved King may one day have a funeral of his own. He will turn 81 years old in December, and has spent time in the hospital with health issues. Many Thais see King Bhumibol as the rock of Thailand, a country that has been troubled by political turmoil for decades.
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